NEWARK — A few weeks before the fourth anniversary of his younger brother’s suicide, James Clementi called today a “validating” day.

James and his mother Jane were in Newark this afternoon to accept the annual Pride Award from the Essex County LGBTQ Pride Month Celebration. The Clementi family, who started a foundation in the wake of 18-year-old Tyler’s very publicized suicide weeks after starting his freshman year at Rutgers in 2010, was nominated to receive this year’s award by the county’s LGBTQ Advisory Board.